Four grown kids, five delightful grandchildren, constant, long-time partner. A retired academic, I'm adapting to life in a Vancouver condo after decades in a waterfront home on a very small (Canadian) West Coast island. Keen to discover what new priorities emerge, what interests persist, in this urban life after 60!

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Sunday, September 20, 2015

Thank You, Readers! Now, What's Ahead?

First, I thank you so much for the wealth of encouraging comments left on my last post. I'm honoured and humbled, truly, to have such a thoughtful community of readers. The statistic that seems to have dropped a bit for the first two weeks of September (coincidentally just when I started blogging about this trip Bordeaux) is the number of visitors recorded. I'm not quite clear on whether or not this reflects those who read through Bloglovin, for example. I've read elsewhere that reader stats don't get captured unless the reader actually "clicks through" to read directly at my site rather than simply through Bloglovin's frame. So it may be that there has been less enticement lately to do that extra click as you might if you wanted to comment. Someday I should sort all those techie details. For now, I'm just very happy to know that many of you are still reading and you are either really enjoying the armchair travel or you don't mind it ring up with it for now as a balance to other topics you might prefer.

The comments included some good suggestions for possible posts, and I'll definitely follow up on Lynn's request that I post on how my travel wardrobe is holding up (short answer: I'm really pleased and even learning a few things about my personal style that will come back home with me).

I also like Lynn's idea that I could write a bit about how we plan our day. When I first read our comment, we'd had rather a string of successes overall and had lined up some lovely agendas for a few days into the next week or two. Then yesterday, the tiniest remark of Pater's as we finished our oysters and wine at the Marché des Capucins and were, I thought preparing to order our deux petite cafés, set me off on a pathway of hurt feelings, resentment, and a subsequent need to assert my independence from this coupledom and a contradictory but equally strong wish that he court my good favour in ways I couldn't articulate. A day which had begun so well.... The afternoon was miserable, although happily, we remembered our compatibility and general good will in time for a fabulous jazz evening at the local cave (more on that later as well, I promise!)

In other words, not only will you soon get some pointers on how to plan activities on longer-stay holidays, but there is some juicy revelation about squabbles and crankiness in longterm marriages as well. Oh, the fun we'll have! Keeping it real, as the kids say...

I'm also pleased to know that some of you are following me on Instagram. I think that even if you don't want to sign up for another platform, you can still peek in (see widget, top right). Some of my blogging energy gets deflected there, I must admit. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that when I don't have the energy for blogging, Instagram is a welcome avenue for sharing my excitement about what I'm seeing.

We're off to the Sunday market by the river today, with crepes and perhaps oysters on the menu. Looks as if the weather will be lovely, so we

may get out for a bike ride as well, later. Or we may check out a tour of a local hotel, a beautifully restored historic building. Planning on the wing...

I'm glad that your wardrobe is holding up well. I would be interested on how you plan your travel days. Travelling alone, I just follow my interests and energy level. I do enjoy peeking at your Instagram photos. The Brooklyn Book Festival is today. It is completely free and there are some great discussions. Happy Sunday!

Oh, that was such a wonderful market. I can still taste the fresh grilled shrimp.... I'm really enjoying reading all of it, and as far as stats go, if you're only measuring clicks through from Bloglovin that's probably not capturing all of your traffic. I know sometimes I'll see you have a new post in my BL feed but may not have time to click to it at that point, and will make a mental note and go back and read directly later. How is the weather there...still hot?

Isn't it a great market? I love that you've been here and can picture exactly what I'm talking about. I think it's particularly good for people-watching and getting a real sense of French culture, at least of the importance of families and Sunday leisure.Thanks for the encouragement re the stats. They just seemed to drop off when I started travel posting, and as you know, it's a lot of work and distraction on a vacation--I'd prefer it to count, somehow, and the reader response has been so reassuring. As for the weather, we've had more rain than we expected over the last week, but temples in low 20s, high teens at least, and moving back to sunny and low to mid20s this week. Perfect, really, for lots of walking.

'Squabbles and crankiness in long term marriages ...' yes, those do happen!

I think you'll be pleased to hear that I did my first 5k run today! (Well, run-walk - I did the Terry Fox run with my husband.) We have another run in October, put on by the sports store where I do the running clinic - hopefully my time will improve, but just happy overall to be doing it!

I love your travel posts. As far as stats on my blog go, I find that some of my favourite posts are not the ones that engender the most hits. But interesting comments always seem to make the smaller numbers less important. I find Bloglovin' not very consistent or dependable. As a blof reader...if I'm using my i-pad and see the Bloglovin' email with new posts from the blogs I follow, I have to close the e-mail and go to the Bloglovin' ap that I've downloaded. And I find it cluttered with "most popular" blog posts and stuff I don't care about. As a blogger... if I look at my Bloglovin' stats, they are different on my i-pad. I presume this is because I downloaded the ap long after I had started using Bloglovin'...but I don't know. I do know that my big PC computer always shows many more subscriptions to my blog. As far as future posts go. I'd love the see what the travel overall game plan is. And how do you find about about those French classes etc. Are you renting a flat in Bordeaux? I love hearing about accommodations and people you meet as well. Okay...I'l stop with the list of questions now:)

It's true for me too, that sometimes the posts I feel really good about don't elicit the response I'd hoped for. It's also true that the stats can be misleading and there are other more important parameters (subscribers on various aggregators, etc). For me, given the effort I put into the blog, I like to see some increase from year to year, especially since my numbers are modest compared to many blogs I follow. I do seem to be managing that, according to Statcounter whose free version I've used since I started 8 years ago.Thanks for the questions. I'll see if I can fold some answers into upcoming posts.

Dear Frances,in the meantime,something interesting from my country: today was a marathon run along the old stone wall in little town Ston on peninsula Peljesac . This stone wall is the longest in Europe and the second one( after chinese wall,naturally) in the world. There were three or four cathegories,from 4km to full one. I was there before a couple of years,it is beautiful part of Croatia ,at the sea,Ston is known for oysters(yes,it was a hint :-)) and sea salt pans for collecting salt . Peljesac is well know red wine region,well known Napa Valley wine maker Mike Grgich has a vineyard and a wine cellar here,too. This region suffered from fire this summer very much.So,who knows,maybe we will meet here one day :-)Dottoressa

Also enjoying the travel posts - you're making my feet itch, and already I'm mentally clearing my plate for spring break and an adventure ... As for reading your posts, I read mostly from Feedly so you don't often see my stats here.

I've been using Bloglovin' since Google Reader left, by default really, not having time to sort out a better approach. I don't like it much at all, and recent changes they've made have made it even worse. Their mobile app is terrible. When I get home, some changes....

Frances, I am enjoying the travel posts especially the architecture and the food of course! I'd love to see more about your wardrobe as well. Today is a lovely Sunday with a warm fall breeze and the occasional shower. I just finished Franzen's "Purity" and some time I'd love to discuss it with you. Brenda

Squabbles and crankiness also seem to be present in our very recent marriage, so not confined to the long-term married - maybe crankiness increases with age anyway? Glad it didn't entirely ruin your day though x

I'm one who would read your post in the aggregator but not click through to comment due to time constraints. I always intended to get back. Be informed however that your posts are always a high point, even when I am a lazy guest and do not thank you for your efforts.

I'd love to hear your response to my post. Agree, disagree, even go off on a tangent, I love to know you're out there, readers. Let's chat, shall we? I apologize, though, for the temporary necessity of the Word Verification -- spam comments have been tiresomely numerous lately, and I'm hoping to break that pattern.

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Wisdom to live by and Other Clever Quotations

Events are not changeable at their climax, not through virtue and resolve, but only in their strictly ordinary, habitual course through reason and practice.Walter Benjamin, "The Author as Producer," Address delivered at the Institute for the Study of Fascism, Paris, on 27 April 1934

Coherence is born of random abundance. Kim Stafford in The Muses Among UsThe world is so full of a number of thingsI'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.Robert Louis Stevenson, A Child's Garden of Verses

Bourgeois heroism: the acrobatics of being in so many places practically at once, and doing so many amazing things in one day, and then conversing over dinner with unflagging energy.

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